closet count: 2021 edition

back in august 2018 i did my first closet count. i had 177 items. i had done a few closet clean outs leading up to this, and liked most of the items in my closet...at least more than the items i let go of.

but in the 2.5 years since i have continued to have closet discontentment. part of me still wanted to dress a certain way, with items that i didn't love. looking at the picture i posted on instagram that day makes me laugh (maybe because half of the items gone have since been removed from my closet). it also makes me happy to see how far i have come. working on my closet, and finding those items i love, has been hard work. work i am starting to see results from. 

now, i will credit my pregancy has a big "a ha" moment. i was able to get rid of quite of the items i wasn't wearing (dress clothes, i'm looking at you). then, after wes was born i took almost all my maternity items to a local consignment shop (so long first capsule wardrobe). and, since he was born, i was really been able to embrace my casual nature. i am a jeans & tee person, why fight it!

i discovered that work attire was a huge source of insecurity for me. it's where i shopped more, had the most uncertainty around, and felt the most discontentment from.

in an effort to continue to work on my closet, i counted again. today's number is 158. no, not a huge difference from the number 2 years ago. but this time i counted lounge, athletic wear, jackets and shoes - something i didn't include in the previous count. so the actual number is probably quite different. 

the breakdown is

     tops

     sweaters

     bottoms

     dresses

     shoes

     athetic

     outwear

i have a goal number i'd like to get to. and i have been participating in closet tracking (@stylethislife inspired me) which will help me see what i wear the most amd what i don't. i'm interested to see if i'll be any closer st this time next year.

- d

fall 2020 : a recap

with a few major items happening in the fall for our little family (wes turning one, my return to work) i wanted to make the most of the time before everything changed one. in order to capture some of the great things to see and do, we created a little bucket list of miscellaneous items. fall is my favourite season after all, so it was full of quintessential fall activities, with a few random ones tossed in for good measure.

some of the highlights include:

1. celebrate wes turning 1
2. take ellie to the dog park
3. visit a pumpkin patch
4. take instax photos
5. have a picnic
6. go on an adventure
7. print a photo book
8. print photos
9. go on the swings at the park
10. homemade costume for wes
11. decorate for hallowee 
12. go apple picking
13. sew something
14. bake an apple pie
15. go in a hike
16. cook a thanksgiving meal
17. save $500 for the house
18. start course 1 (b)
19. clean up the backyard
20. carve a pumpkin
21. roast pumpkin seeds
22. watch a halloween movie

winter in PEC

2020 definitely isn't the year i had planned (i am sure most people can agree with this!) this year we had been planning a few adventures to make up for the lack of travel last year.  but 2020 had other things in store.

after w was born, i really wanted to have a family holiday over new years. an opportunity to relax and recharge after a busy christmas. lucky, this was pre-covid, so we were able to head out for a few nights.  

we decided on prince edward county. just a few hours east of us, it was far enough away to feel like a holiday but close enough that we could easily drive there after work. and to be honest, it was the perfect way to start a new year.

day 1

we started our first day in PEC with brunch at the Vic, a colourful cafe with a lot of brunch options (note: it has been updated to a drive-in diner now) and explored some of the shops open along the main street. 

next up, we conducted a small scale, self-guided brewery tour. whenever we travel we try to check out a few local breweries, and PEC has some good ones.  first, we drove over to bloomfield to matron fine beer.  located in an old barn, it was complete with some adorable barn cats. after matron, we went to parsons brewing for some samples and pretzels.  they have a beer called the westie pale ale that we just had to try (in honour of wes!). unfortunately, it was too dark to take a photo with their infamous Westfalia van.  finally, we completed our tour with some fresh pizza from 555 brewing co.    

 

someone was getting a little hangry at this point.  he had been such a good baby the whole day, napping most of the time. these outings were a perfect way for me to ease into feeding him in public.  

day 2

i am someone who loves the beach in the winter. there is something about how quiet and undisturbed it is.  PEC has one of the more well-known ones in ontario - Sandbanks. so we bundled up and went to check it out.

when in PEC, you have to visit some wineries! so that's just what we did. not all wineries were open, but the ones that were had excellent wines. we started with one of the better-known wineries in the area, sandbanks.. next up was hinterland wine company, which had some lovely sparkling wines and an excellent cherry cider. 

after hinterland, we continued on our way through the countryside to one of the prettiest wineries i have been to - the grange of prince edward. the property was stunning, their spiced white wine was delicious, and they had hot soup that was the perfect lunch for a cold snowy day. 

and last but not least, we stopped in at karlo estates winery. a fully vegan winery, each sample came with a complimenting bite of a snack. the area we sat in was dark and cozy, with lots of comfy couches and big chairs.

then we headed back to wellington for some dinner at midtown brewery company. it was the perfect end to a lovely day exploring PEC.

after all of this adventuring, we headed back to our air bnb to ring in the new year with a nice early bed time.  the perfect end to a perfect little holiday.

camping: rondeau provincial park

after a quick 2 nights at home, we were off 2 hours in the other direction for 3 more nights of camping. this time at rondeau provincial park with my parents. they have an RV they like to use, and we tented.

located on the beautiful attiwonderonk lands, the park sits on a crescent sand spit extending into lake erie. fun fact, this park is actually the second oldest provincial park in ontario.

i enjoyed this park quite a bit. not nearly as big as sandbanks, it had nice large sites, quiet roads, a playground, and lots of beaches. my only "qualm" would be that the dog beach was so far away (over 6 km down the road) and that it was rocky. but we were still able to spend a fun afternoon at the beach in the cooler waters of lake erie.

it was nice to get to spend a few days relaxing with my parents. almost like the old days at the cottage!

camping: sandbanks provincial park

the other week we took wes camping for the first time.  one of my oldest friends invited us to camp with her family at sandbanks provincial park.  if you have ever tried to book a site at sandbanks, you'll know how tough it can be.  so we jumped at the opportunity!  plus she has 3 kids, with her youngest just a few months younger than wes.  having her there, a seasoned camper with kids, was perfect at calming my nerves for our first camping trip with a baby.  while we hit a few bumps, overall we had a great time.

years ago b and i had rented one of the cabins in sandbanks with friends, but this was our first time tent camping. i see why it is so popular. while the sites are nothing special (at least where we were) the park itself is beautiful. located on haudenosaunee lands, the sandy beaches and warm shallow waters were perfect for a day at the beach. the park itself is quite large and great for biking and exploring. and the park store has anything you think you might need (in our case, bug spray).  if it wasn't so darn hot (felt like 40 degrees with the humidity) we would have done one of the hikes in the park as well.

and, one of the best parts, is it's location - in prince edward county, directly on lake ontario, the park is not far from the adorable towns of bloomfield, wellington and picton. just another reason why i am fast loving PEC.